Our PhycoDigest extracts are the result of years of scientific research and have been tested in two clinical trials to determine the effects on the gut flora and metabolic disorders.
PhycoDigest products are uniquely formulated to contain specific components of seaweeds believed to be beneficial in the gut processes that interact with inflammation. This includes unique, complex, semi-soluble gel-fibre molecules and phenolic compounds. These types of molecules have been shown to have direct anti-inflammatory activity and in recent clinical studies, we were able to demonstrate a reduction of C-reactive protein inflammation.
Our gut environment is complex, with a multitude of biological, chemical and immune system processes and microflora that are unique to us as individuals. As such, responses and outcomes to taking SeaFibre™ will depend on your individual condition, but many of our study participants and customers are already taking PhycoDigest™ products as an essential part of their daily routine.
We are now expanding our research to investigate a whole spectrum of inflammatory processes (including psoriasis) to help understand any that are impacted by PhycoDigest® ingredients from seaweed. A reduction in inflammation processes could be a result of improved digestive tract process, direct interaction with immune cells and the gut lining, or even shifts in beneficial microflora (the good bacteria in your gut).
Why your Gut is Important
The gut is the largest organ in the body, hosting vast quantities of nutritional and immune processes over an area of 320m2 . It is also the front line of your immune system; thousands of signals and processes are continuously approaching, connecting, being deflected and crossing through your gut into your blood stream and metabolism.
But your gut is more than organ – it is an ecosystem, and you need to take care to support it with the right nutrition. Seaweed hosts a plethora of molecules, including specific dietary fibres, a key component of our nutrition that the World Health Organisation has identified is typically deficient in the Western Diet.
Westerner’s typically eat a limited diversity of fibre, mostly sourced from cereals. This is a good source, but we typically do not get get enough and diversity is important as different fibres do very different things. This is where seaweeds with the right soluble fibre signatures could fill the deficiency and diversity gap in the standard Western Diet.
In addition to dietary fibres, the gut environment is home to approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms that are important to our health. These bacteria live in our digestive system and play a key role in overall health; digesting food we eat, as well as absorbing and synthesising nutrients. It is this gut exo-system that suffers from long term dietary deficiency, and is now being linked to a whole host of health and inflammatory disorders.
What is PhycoDigest® being tested for?
Reducing Cholesterol
There are a number of mechanisms by which seaweed have been shown to reduce cholesterol in laboratory research, but few researchers have tested it in human clinical trials. PhycoDigest® is one of those few. The reasons why our specific seaweed extracts might reduce the problematic cholesterol are numerous and complex and include the regulation of bile and cholesterol in the liver through gut processes. This is complex, ecological nutrition that we are only just beginning to understand.
Shifting Gut Dysbiosis which can help to
- Regulate and support metabolic processes that can prevent the onset of diabetes
- Support your liver and naturally enhance detoxification
- Maintain healthy blood sugar levels in healthy individuals
- Produce molecules that regulate the gut barrier to your blood stream
- Regulate immune system processes and reduce inflammatory processes
Joint Health
There are 2 mechanisms by which we believe PhycoDigest® may assist in joint health. The first is linked to the reduction of inflammatory processes, and the second is the unique molecular profile of PhycoDigest® that includes Glucuronic acid. Glucuronic acid is a strategically important component of chondroitin (viscosity mucopolysaccharides that act as the flexible connecting matrix between collagen filaments in cartilage). To be able to synthesize chondroitin, the human body needs glucuronic acid and glucosamine. The lack of one of these components dramatically decreases the chondroitin synthesis.
Reducing Inflammatory conditions
There were links between the consumption of our seaweed extract with changes in gut flora and and chronic inflammation levels in our initial study. Our second study is exploring this complex system to understand the impact of PhycoDigest® on specific inflammatory pathways, gut flora pouplations and diseases consequences. Becasue of increased interest, this study has included cohort of 50 people with skin disorders like psoriasis. Results will be posted here after publication.
Mental Health
The brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected. A troubled gut can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.
Taking care of your gut is taking care of you as a whole.
